OTRC: Tina Fey's Sarah Palin impressions hurt '30 Rock'?

Tina Fey says her impressions of Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live" may have hurt ratings for her current show "30 Rock."

"30 Rock" was renewed for a sixth season last year. Ratings peaked in late 2008 and early 2009, soon after the actress parodied Palin, a Republican former governor of Alaska who is seen as a possible 2012 presidential candidate, on "Saturday Night Live."

"Some may argue that exploiting Governor Palin and her family helped bring attention to my low-rated TV show," Fey says in her new memoir "Bossypants," which was released on Tuesday, April 5. "I am proud to say you are wrong. My TV show still enjoys very low ratings."

"In fact, I think the Palin stuff may have hurt the TV show," she added. "Let's face it, between Alec Baldwin and me there is a certain fifty percent of the population who think we are pinko Commie monsters."

Fey, a former "Saturday Night Live" writer and cast member, won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her impression of Palin on an episode of the NBC sketch comedy show in 2008, the year the politician ran for vice president.

Fey said at the time she received hate mail for her impressions. She said in her book: "On an intellectual level, this doesn't bother me at all. On a human level, I would prefer to be liked."

In the book, Fey also repeats a story about how Palin once offered to have her daughter Bristol babysit her daughter Alice, who is now 5, during a live "Saturday Night Live" show, which featured a cameo from the politician.

"We didn't hang out much, but we chatted a little about children," Fey said. "She offered her daughter Bristol to babysit Alice during the show if need be. "I thanked her, saying Alice was too little to stay for the show. She always went home with her dad after the dinner break."

"I can't imagine Bristol would have been too psyched to do that anyway," she added. "It was her 18th birthday, she was in New York City, and I had made a vicious joke about her a week earlier. But I appreciated the mom-ness of Mrs. Palin's offer."

Palin and her daughter Bristol, who made headlines with her teen pregnancy and her appearance last year on ABC series "Dancing With The Stars," have not responded.